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New PBS Game/Show asks if Dark Souls is the best hope for videogame narratives

A quick googling of Dark Souls’ story will open a rabbit hole into the churning gut of lore. From the true identity of Sen, who we know of only through a lone kanji character on the side of a deathtrap, to the exodus of the otherworldly mushroom people, everything is laid bare.

This exegesis results from the innovative way Dark Souls tells its story—not through cut-scenes and garrulous inn-keeps, but with subtle, purposeful, environmental cues. It turns the act of discovering the story into a game itself, a technique we’ve also seen in critically praised narrative games like Gone Home and Dear Esther.

Does this new kind of storytelling solve the age-old riddle of how games can be fun to play and tell a captivating story without the two stepping on the other’s toes?

Watch the episode to find out, and let us know what you think in the comments.